Chris Cherry, an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been working in China since 2005 and has researched a variety of topics, including emissions from gasoline and electric vehicles.

Cherry will discuss his discoveries at this week’s Science Forum.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research and the general public to learn about science in a way they can understand.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. It is free and open to the public.

Cherry will discuss different types of pollutants emitted by electric vehicles and power plants in China and the potential health risks associated with them. He said that some emissions are more dangerous than others, depending on their quantity and location. Although they are more energy efficient, electric cars still use a lot of energy, resulting in emissions that cause health problems in China.

Cherry—who brought an automated electric bicycle (e-bike) sharing system to UT—also will talk about electric bikes, one possible solution to the emissions problem.

“[Electric bikes] are very efficient people movers and changing the environment and mobility challenge in a strong way in China,” he said.

Future science forums will feature:

September 28: David Ostermeier, professor of forestry, wildlife, and fisheries, will discuss Governing the Environment in Complex Times.

October 5: Rich Giannone, who works in the chemical sciences division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will present Yellowstone’s Hot Bacteria and the Future of Biofuels.

October 12: no meeting, fall break.

October 19: Dana Dodd, president of the Appalachian Bear Rescue, will talk about Saving Orphan Bears and Returning Them to the Wild.

October 26: J.R. Shrute, co-director and co-founder of Conservation Fisheries, Inc., will present Saving the Imperiled Fishes of Southern Appalachia.

November 2: J.P. Dessel, Steinfeld Associate Professor of Near Eastern History and Archaeology, will discuss The State of the Ancient State: New Finds in Southeastern Turkey.

November 9: Alison G. Boyer, research assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, will present Trouble in Paradise: Extinction and Conservation of Tropical Island Birds.

November 16: Rob Heller, professor of journalism and electronic media, will discuss A Brief Yet Incomplete History of Photojournalism.

November 23: no meeting, Thanksgiving break.

November 30: Sue Hume, clinical associate professor of audiology and speech pathology, will present Good Vibrations—Care and Use of the Professional Voice.

The Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit research.utk.edu.